A Chapter in Pacific Northwest History is a book about the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) Robert E. Lee Chapter 885 that has been active in Seattle for over a hundred years. The Chapter’s activities in Washington State contributes to the Pacific Northwest’s history, hence the name.

The pursuit for detail sent me down many avenues. The Chapter gave UW Library and Seattle Public Library many books on the organization that helped fill in some of the history. During the two years of research, I traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to use the UDC’s own library and hunted information at the local level here in Seattle finding historical society libraries. At the Fiske Library, Gary Zimmerman told me to talk with Junius Rochester, a local historian. It turned out that his grandmother was a charter member of the Robert E. Lee Chapter and he was delighted to help in preserving her history. Having an award-winning historian such as Mr. Rochester interested in a novice’s project helped me to feel more confident about my work and its importance in recording local history.

My ischool counselor, Allyson Carlyle, was supportive but unsure how I could incorporate the Daughters into my portfolio. Miracles do happen and it worked out much better then we could have predicted. Jennifer Sullivan of the ischool volunteered her editing skills making great improvements in the flow of the book. Many people contributed their time and support making it a wonderful experience and I feel privileged for the opportunity to complete such an undertaking.

While going through graduation in June of this year, I was working on the last minute changes to the book. It will be available to the public in October. http://www.seattleudc.org/collectables.htm